Pilot and passenger of small biplane suffer injuries in crash landing in Oceanside

OCEANSIDE – The pilot of a small biplane and his passenger suffered superficial injuries today during an emergency crash-landing in a field in northern Oceanside.

The Pitts S-2B aircraft, which had departed from McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, lost engine power shortly before 11:30 a.m. during an approach to Oceanside Municipal Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The plane came down in a brushy open lot just north of State Route 76 and flipped over, coming to rest upside down, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.

Both men aboard the aircraft were able to get out and walk away with minor scrapes, police Lt. Leonard Cosby said.

There crash resulted in no fluid spill or fire.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the accident, Gregor said.